New Book Claims Drugs And Porn Were Involved In The Rescue Of The Chilean Miners

We were all relieved when 33 Chilean miners were rescued after being trapped underground for two long months. While the rescue appeared to go smoothly, a new book claims that the mission was actually a frenzy of sex, drugs, and warfare. New York Times journalist, Jonathan Franklin, who was granted special access to the rescue mission, is writing about what really went on in Chile in his book The 33. More after the jump.Desperate to relieve their stress and promote camaraderie, rescuers allegedly sent the miners marijuana to smoke. Instead of promoting peace and love, Franklin claims this only caused more fighting over who got to smoke it. Officials sent drug dogs to sniff out any remaining cannabis after the rescue was complete, afraid that the public would find out about their unorthodox methods. The other big issue throughout the rescue? How to satisfy the men’s sexual tension. One doctor suggested sending down blow-up dolls, but they decided against it, reasoning that the battle over whom the dolls belonged to would turn violent. Instead, they sent down pin-up posters and plenty of porn. Finally, Franklin says the rescue footage was compromised. He alleges the newsfeed was interrupted twice, once when there was an avalanche of dirt and once when a fight broke out. He claims it was replaced with old footage for appearances.

I don’t doubt this is all true, but is it really worth revealing? The poor guys thought they were going to die. They wrote farewell letter to their families. They were forced to consider cannibalism. Is anyone really expected to be on their best behavior while trapped in a mine for 70 days? Let them smoke pot and look at porn. Sheesh. [Daily Mail UK]